Terence Crawford Beats David Avanesyan via 6th-Round Knockout to Retain Title
Terence Crawford (39-0) added another name to his lengthy list of beaten opponents, defeating David Avanesyan (29-4-1) via sixth-round knockout in his hometown Omaha, Nebraska.
The two boxers were locked in a tight contest until a swift right hook from Crawford knocked the challenger out cold with 49 seconds left in the round.
Avanesyan appeared to be an aggressive underdog and he didn't disappoint in that department. He tried to take the fight to Crawford in the early going, staying in his face and throwing power punches that were mostly avoided by Crawford.
But that good start for Avanesyan just meant that Crawford understood he had to dial up the pressure. Once he started letting his hands go it was clear why Bud is considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
He remained calm in the face of the pressure and eventually figured out what he needed to secure the victory.
A smooth, compact right hand worked right around Avanesyan's guard and ended the night early.
With the win, Crawford retains his WBO welterweight title that he's held since a ninth-round TKO stoppage against Jeff Horn in 2018.
This might not have been the blockbuster boxing fans were hoping for, but it does mark the first time since 2018 that Crawford has fought back-to-back Top 10 opponents as ranked by Transnational Boxing Rankings Board or The Ring since moving up to 147 pounds.
While it's another feather in the impressive cap of Crawford, it's fair for fans to wonder if they will see Bud in a truly massive fight against a fellow top fighter.
Negotiations for a fight with fellow undefeated fighter Errol Spence Jr. (28-0) were reportedly close in the summer. However, the bout that was intended for November didn't come to fruition.
Spence holds the WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight titles, so a fight between the two would presumably be big business for both men.
The good news for fight fans is that Crawford doesn't seem to have lost hope in putting together a fight with Spence.
"We both need this fight," Crawford said, per Morgan Campbell of the New York Times. "The top two fighters in our division that's undefeated, that's in our prime. It's a pick-em fight. It's a 50-50 fight in everybody's eyes. That's what makes it intriguing."
Perhaps with another win under his belt with a raucous home crowd, Crawford will be ready to go back to the negotiation table and give the fans what they want.
